Kristin Sarboukh March 28, 2013 Miscue Analysis

Literacy is all around us; everywhere we look we run into some form of literacy. However, one of the most important components of literacy is the ability to read. A good reader is made up of two things: the ability to read words and comprehend text. Someone is not considered to be on a specific reading level unless they can do both of these things. For example, if a student can read the words on the page with 100% accuracy but cannot comprehend the text they just read, the reading level is too high for them. To assess a students ability to read, a teacher may take a running record or a miscue analysis. The purpose of these assessments is to evaluate how well a child can read and understand. This information can then be used to help students pick out just right books for them to read independently as well as books a little more difficult that can be used for scaffolding. For my running record, I observed a third grade boy named Bryce. He is eight years old and in Miss Schroecks class. For the assessment, I was able to pull Bryce aside, and bring him to a small desk at the front of the classroom. During the assessment, the rest of the class was independently reading so it was nice and quiet, allowing Bryce to focus on what he was reading. Also, this assessment was important because Miss Schroeck was in the process of testing the whole class and would be using it to decide what level each student would be reading in for book clubs. Because of the importance put on this evaluation, I followed a specific step by step process.

The methodology used for this assessment tool was the same Miss Schroeck was using for all of her students. Depending on the reading level they were last assessed at and whether they had used the Colombia or the Fountas & Pinnell assessment, depended on what was used this time. In Bryces last assessment, he had used a story from the Fountas & Pinnell and was on Level O. In order to reduce the likelihood that I would give Bryce a story he already read, Miss Schroeck advised me to use another Level O assessment, except this time we would use a story from the Columbia assessment. The story had 301 words, 100 of them would be read aloud and the other 201 would be read silently. As Bryce read the first 100 words, I made note of the words he read incorrectly, repeated, and the ones he self-corrected. He then read the rest silently, and afterwards, I asked him a series of five questions ranging from simple recall questions to in depth analytical comprehension questions. At the end of the assessment, I got to look at all if the results and decide if this reading level was appropriate or not for independent reading. Bryce has many strengths in his reading ability. He is an average to strong reader, reading the Level O story with a 98% accuracy rate. Throughout the entire 100 word passage he read aloud, he only had two miscues and self-corrected once. In regards to his retelling of the story he just read, he was strong and independent in the retelling. He did not need many prompts and he mentioned most of the important facts from the passage. Bryce was then asked two literal questions; both questions either referring to something that was said in the text or predicting what will happen based on the facts from the text. With the simple recall question of detail from the text, Bryce could easily answer. He was also able to answer both of the inferential questions requiring him to look within the text and infer how characters may be feeling and what characters are really saying behind the face of the text. However, even though there were many strengths to Bryces reading, the results showed there were also things he needs to work on.

There are a few areas Bryce still needs to work on. In regards to the literal questions mentioned earlier, there was one Bryce was not able to accurately answer. When asked a question about predicting what will happen based on the facts from the text, Bryce was not able to answer as easily. He ended up confusing himself and in the end, could not really answer the question. He needed prompting and mixed up his fact. Another area Bryce struggled with was his fluency and recognition of punctuation. It was wonderful that Bryce could actually read the text, but he was not able to read it fluently and use proper pauses at specific punctuation. His reading was choppy and although it did not affect his comprehension, it is something that needs to be worked on. Knowing Bryces areas of weakness as well as his strengths is very important in deciding what to do next. These results help to implement a variety of instruction. Because Bryce has a strong sense of understanding literal and inferential questions, this is something, as a teacher, I would not work on. If other students in the class are struggling with either type of question, I may pair them with Bryce so that they can work together to come up with the answer. Other students may be able to learn a lot from their classmates. Also, knowing that this level of book is great for independent reading, if I were his teacher, I may even think about giving him a level up in regards to book clubs because there will be other students there to help him read, understand, and discuss with. Also, even though Bryce can read and comprehend, it is very important that he be able to read fluently and know proper pauses. For this reason, I may consider working one on one with Bryce to review punctuation and what type of pause happens at the corresponding punctuation. This may help him understand how to fluently read better. Also, I may try to demonstrate the proper inflection in reading or have him work with a partner to do the same. Once he improves his fluency, he may soon be ready to move up to the next reading level. Until

then, I would not feel comfortable moving him up because with more difficult text, the fluency may hinder his comprehension. Overall, taking a running record or miscue analysis is critical for understanding a childs reading ability. Not only is it about actually reading the text, but also understanding the meaning of the passage. This should be done a few times a year, especially before delving into something like book clubs. It is so important to do this assessment because if a student is given something to read that is beyond their ability, they will become frustrated with the text and end up either giving up or not liking to read. It is important to give a child something that is just a little difficult, but still allows them to feel accomplished. Thanks to this assessment, Miss Schroeck will be able to decide what is best for Bryce and help him develop into a brilliant reader.